Wade, et al vs. Wood

Case Background

On March 17, 2022, Plaintiff Nicole Jennings Wade and others filed a Defamation lawsuit in the United States District Court, Georgia Northern(Case number: 1:22cv1073). Judge Michael L. Brown presided over the case.

Cause

Nicole Jennings Wade, Jonathan D. Grunberg, and G. Taylor Wilson practiced law at L. Lin Wood, P.C. (LLW PC) until February 14, 2020. After establishing their own firm, Wade, Grunberg & Wilson, LLC, they faced a series of threatening communications and public accusations from Wood. Initially, the parties resolved their disputes through three separate agreements, including the February 17 Agreement and the March 17 Agreement, which outlined fee allocations for resolved cases. Wood later violated these agreements, making defamatory statements about the plaintiffs to his approximately 850,000 Telegram followers. Between May and June 2021, Wood published multiple posts accusing the plaintiffs of criminal extortion, claiming they attempted to extort $1.5 million from him through threats and intimidation. He reinforced his accusations by citing his 43 years of legal experience and encouraged his followers to file complaints with the Georgia Bar against the plaintiffs.

Injuries

Wood's defamatory statements severely damaged the plaintiffs' professional reputations within the legal community and the public sphere.